A smart speaker is a type of wireless speaker and voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant, where a virtual assistant is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual. In some instances, such as associated with Internet access, the term “chatbot” is used to refer to virtual assistants. A virtual assistant can be implemented as artificial intelligence that offers interactive actions and handsfree activation of the virtual assistant to perform a task. The activation can be accomplished with the use of one or more specific terms, such as the name of the virtual assistant. Some smart speakers can also act as smart devices that utilize Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other wireless protocol standards to extend usage beyond typical speaker applications, such as to control home automation devices. This usage can include, but is not be limited to, features such as compatibility across a number of services and platforms, peer-to-peer connection through mesh networking, virtual assistants, and others. Voice activated smart speakers are speakers combined with a voice recognition system to which a user can interact.
In a voice activated smart home speaker, its microphone array can be optimally placed to allow for far-field beam forming of incoming voice commands. This placement of this microphone array can be in a circular pattern. Although this allows for an optimized omni-directional long-range voice pickup, the environments in which these devices are used are often not omni-directional open spaces. The introduction of hard and soft acoustic surfaces creates both absorptive and reflective surfaces that can alter the reception of voice commands. These acoustic surfaces provide a reverberation creating a secondary overlapping signal, which is typically undesirable. For example, a standard placement of a smart speaker against a hard wall, such as a ceramic back splash in a kitchen, creates indeterminate voice reflections for which the device needs to account without knowing the conditions of the room.